Sending our prayers: Christian rapper Thi’sl shot multiple times

Article By Frank White (Photo Credit: Instagram)

Christian rapper, Travis Tremayne Tyler, who simply goes by the stage name Thi’sl, was shot multiple times during an attempted robbery Tuesday. Some sources say he was attacked by some of the young men he was attempting to help.

Though the St. Louis, Missouri resident, 41, is expected to make a full recovery, his family and friends are soliciting prayers.

Thi’sl, a community activist known as a force for peace and change, has, in the past, hosted forums, events and meetings to encourage hope and peaceful alternatives to violence that plagues so many inner cities across the U.S.

According to a Rapzilla.com report, one of the gunshots in Thi’sl’s leg broke it, requiring surgery to repair it with a rod and bolts.

Once news hit on social media, it rapidly spread. Plenty of prayers have poured in from the Christian community—among the well-wishers is GRAMMY® Award-winning rapper, Lecrae, who admonished his followers to “stream his music & cash app him.”

A rapper named J. Monty posted a plea for prayer on behalf of Thi’sl on Instagram, saying, “He paved the way for many of us. Beyond music he’s committed to giving selflessly to see growth in his community and be a necessary voice in an unpopular position.”

A mentor of many lost youth caught up in the lifestyle of drugs, gangs and violence that once ensnared Thi’sl, the urban evangelist witnesses to other men about how, through Jesus Christ, they can turn their lives around.

Thi’sl is a living example.

In 1999, he was incarcerated on suspicion of murder.

“Before my cousin was murdered he told me, ‘Don’t stop rapping, you gone help change the world, people gone listen to you,’ then he started naming different nationalities. At the time he told me that, all I wanted to be was a killer and dope boy,” Thi’sl said in a 2017 social media post. “Two weeks after he told me that I was arrested for murder. As the OG’s say though, ‘BUT LOOK AT GOD!’”

In 2009, Thi’sl accepted Christ, quit selling illegal drugs and devoted his life to Christian rap. Today, he is regarded as a pioneer in the Christian Hip-Hop movement.

A GoFundMe page has been set up on Thi’sl’s behalf. It says, “He will need prolonged and expensive rehabilitation after his immediate injuries are dealt with. He also has other daily household bills that will need to be handled while he is on this long journey to recovery. “